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Friday, May 31, 2013

Finding Fiction Friday - Jas T. Ward

This is Week 11 of Finding Fiction Friday, and today I'm very happy to bring Jas T. Ward to the blog. Ward's first work was recently published, a prequel of sorts to the upcoming Shadow-Keepers series. Please join me in extending a warm welcome!

Jas T. Ward has a fan following
in the thousands in various social medias. It’s the fans that pushed Ward to
finally publishing a work. Previous writings were done for newspapers as well
as other published authors.

Lives in Texas, has part of the heart in Kentucky with family
there and in the New Orleans
area.

When asked: What do you want people to know about you? Simple: They don’t need
to know anything about me. Just love my characters. I’m in there somewhere.

Jas, how did you get started writing?

Well, it was an escape. I am the
product of a less than happy childhood and in order to deal I wrote. I probably
wrote my first short story (about a child who got lost in books and never
wanted to escape) when I was seven-years old. I never stopped. I had notebook
after notebook of stories and drawings I’ve done. The worse the time in my
life? The more I wrote. It still provides that escape.

You are still an avid role player and have been for some time,
taking characters that have been started and giving them a depth and
personality beyond what we’ve seen from them before. What from that experience
are you able to translate into writing for publication?

That part is tricky. You really
have to distance yourself from the ‘RP Style’ writing to actual writing for
publication. Whereas in RP, you are the voice of a character, for writing you
are that character as seen from your reader’s eyes. RP- the foundation is
implied. The setting is less important than the action and the dialogue. With
writing it’s about ALL of it. Making every small detail important. The voice,
the setting, the scene, the character; the image that you want to play through
their heads. And if they don’t believe the image you create for them? Then you
lost the battle to draw them in. You won’t be able to get them back.

I love RP. I admit, without it? I would never have published. Not only was it
the huge amount of encouragement and support from the fans for my RP writings?
But it got rid of a huge writing block that had been in place for years after a
personal tragedy in my life. I owe it so much. And I will never forget all that
it and the fans have done for me.

You have also been involved on the “other” side of the business,
having been involved from the ground up with Dead Bound Publishing. What has
that experience been like?

(Laughs) Expensive? But all and
all it’s been amazing. We got lucky. The two partners that run DBP are very
encouraging. DBP was founded to showcase what was seen as talent on my part. It
was also created to give creativity a chance beyond the traditional publishing
world. When a single dream or vision is crushed by an agent with a single
rejection letter. I’ll be honest- I’ve had those same rejection letters. But
the one thing that really drove DBP to be created was when I was told one of my
works would be a great deal if I changed it. If I made it more “marketable” or
“reader friendly”. That should never be
the focus of a book. An author writes from the soul and the heart. Their
characters speak to them. To tell an author to butcher and slaughter a work to
make it not even close to the vision is a shame. We’re not talking editing and
proofing. We are talking not giving the reader any credit to handle very real
tragic topics (in my case suicide) and assuming a reader will read fluff and
not be able to handle a meatier topic to make sales. That is just not what a
creative vision should be about.

What about being published and the book industry in general has
most surprised you?

How much real talent is out
there. And how fans really will embrace something different and unique. And how
doing it our way, will probably never make us rich (smile).

I guess the best way to explain it, is this.

We allowed pre-sales on my first book for autographed copies. I assumed we’d
get one maybe two. No, in that first night we made enough money to be in the
black with Bits and Pieces. The fans wanted it that much. Those funds covered
the copyright, the printing, the distribution- all in a single night. That was
the most amazing feeling. That little book? Who would have thought.

It’s also been a very big
learning experience. We learned about so many avenues and steps it takes to get
a book out there. But we haven’t regretted anything about the process. And we
love each sale. Each little comment. And we are getting more authors on board
as well.

So you’ve got your first publication, the compilation “Bits and
Pieces” which came out just a couple of months ago. Tell us about how this book
came to be and what it’s like becoming published for the first time.

I love writing short-stories. And
a certain flow of my creativity comes out in poetic sense. I honestly write
shorts daily. I have tons of them. Some suitable to be read, some will never
see the light of day. DBP was first starting and the fans wanted me to put some
of my writings together so they could buy it. So we decided what better way to
get seed money for the company. The partners were amazing in their support. We
had no idea it would become as popular as it has. It’s a little book of little
stories and poems along with a novella. But it’s been amazing. Yeah, I admit.
I’ve hugged my one-of-a-kind proof more than I can count. Still do. I can’t
believe I hold it in my hands. Flip through the pages.

What it feels like? Well, like
the fans posting their pictures of getting their copy and being so excited.
It’s a feeling I can’t even explain. And that’s from both a publisher and
author aspect. Then to have it picked up by stores such as Barnes & Noble,
Books-A-Million? A real got-to-sit-down feeling wearing a huge smile.

I think I will always have to
stop. Let myself soak it in and say- I did that. That’s mine.

Some of the stories in “Bits and Pieces” are touted as prequels to
your upcoming “Shadowkeepers” series. What’s this series about and what are
your plans for it?

The Shadow-Keepers series was
started in RP. I’ll be honest. I wrote an original character named Reno
Sundown. He was never meant to last. I had plans of killing him off and
actually did. The fans went crazy. They sent me tons of hate mail and even
created a Facebook page called “Save Candyman”. I was shocked. So I kicked my
creative gear (Fondly named- Twiz, for my creative ‘demon’ side) into high gear.
So I sat back and listened to the voice of a character I had come to love. And the
Shadow-Keepers series was born.

The Shadow-Keepers series is about immortal dead who are kept animated and
functioning by all the dark powers of mankind. As long as they ‘keep’ their
powers fed the powers stay contained and they continue to serve their function
and have a life, so to speak. We call it their purpose and they are purpose
beings. Keepers have no heartbeat or
mortal tie. All that was given up when they were slaughtered as humans and
their powers took over. Each one has a unique power to keep. You have Madness,
Lust, Envy, Murder and many more. They are neither evil nor good. Nor are they
dark or light. They walk the shadow between both. Making sure good is kept
balanced by keeping bad equal.

But love can give them one thing
their power can not. A heartbeat and feeling alive.

The first book in the series-
Madness (Which is Reno’s
book that picks up right after the novella you get in Bits and Pieces) comes
out in the Winter of 2013.

Do you have any other upcoming works or even just ideas bouncing
around in your head?

(Laugh) Oh. What a question. I
come up with ideas in my sleep. I keep a notebook by my bed to jot down a dozen
or so a week, sometimes a night. I honestly never stop creating. But I’m also
human and have a life that makes demands. That pesky life thing.

Other works already slated for
publication beyond Shadow-Keepers:

Soul Bound: Book One- Warrior – Next Summer

Light and Dark: Book One- Light –
Next Winter

Blood Rosary Guild- 2015

What does your family think of your writing career so far?

Having the childhood I had? I
don’t have much blood family I am close to. But I have a wonderful family of
the heart that has been unbelievable. They believe in me and that still amazes
me to the core. But it’s also something I’m not used to. (Smile) They are kind
of forcing it on me. I’m adapting.

To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.
Here they go!

1. What is your favorite word?

Pieces

2. What is your least favorite word?

Whatever

3. What turns you on?

The back of the neck. Just
touching or having it touched lightly.
And laughing in bed.

4. What turns you off?

Faking…anything

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter or a sigh

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

Whispers I can’t make out.

7. What is your favorite curse word?

Damn

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

If I could, and would like to-
I’d love to be rich enough or at least inventive enough to open a homeless
shelter for families.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

I watch that Dirty Jobs show.
Almost all those jobs. I don’t know how Mike does it.

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the pearly gates?

That I tried. And it matters. It
was enough.

11. What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone
would ask you?

The many uses for saw-horses.
Those things are cool. Don’t laugh. I’ve given it tons of thought.

Jas, thanks so much for spending time with us. Can you let us know
where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?

Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies. You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories! Here's where you can find them: